Author
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Anthony, William |
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Submitted to: Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press
Publication Type: Popular Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2004 Publication Date: 7/24/2004 Citation: Anthony, W.S. 2004. Survey of bale moistures at midsouth gins in 2003. Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press. Vol. 105(15): 8-11. Interpretive Summary: Segments of the cotton industry report problems with unexpected changes in bale weight and fiber quality that they believe are due to excess moisture applied at the gin. Ginners often add moisture at the lint slide to reduce bale-packaging forces and to recover some of the weight lost during field drying and gin processing. If excessive moisture is added, problems can occur during processing as well as in subsequent storage. The National Cotton Council requested studies to determine if problems existed with the addition of excessive moisture in the United States. Moisture restoration practices were surveyed in 20 gins in Mississippi and Arkansas in September-November 2003. The types of moisture restoration systems surveyed were: 1) lint slide grid, 2) humidified air at/near the battery condenser, 3) direct water spray at the lint slide, and 4) combinations of 1 and 2, or 2 and 3. Initial moisture contents averaged for individual gins ranged from 3.0 to 5.8%, and final moisture contents averaged for individual gins ranged from 3.7 to 7.7%. The simple average across all samples and gins for initial and final moisture contents was 4.3% and 5.5%; respectively, thus about 6 pounds of moisture was added per bale. Bales may be stored safely at moisture levels below 7.5%. However, 8.7% of the bales were above the recommended storage moisture of 7.5%, and 12 of the 20 surveyed gins produced bales that exceeded the 7.5% recommended moisture level, mostly those using the direct spray method (26.3%) of moisture restoration. These bales may experience quality degradation during extended storage. Additional control and management oversight is needed in order to ensure uniform moisture restoration and avoid bales with excess moisture. Improved moisture management is also needed to control initial drying as well as moisture restoration. If these improvements are not made, the cotton industry will be negatively impacted domestically and internationally. Technical Abstract: Moisture restoration practices were surveyed in 20 gins in Mississippi and Arkansas in September-November 2003. The types of moisture restoration systems surveyed were: 1) lint slide grid, 2) humidified air at/near the battery condenser, 3) direct water spray at the lint slide, and 4) combinations of 1 and 2, or 2 and 3. For this survey, one sample was taken from each bale before moisture restoration and another one after moisture restoration for 25 consecutive bales of cotton on three or more different days during the season. Initial moisture contents averaged for individual gins ranged from 3.0 to 5.8%, and final moisture contents averaged for individual gins ranged from 3.7 to 7.7%. The simple average across all samples and gins for initial and final moisture contents was 4.3% and 5.5%; respectively, thus about 6 pounds of moisture was added per bale. Bales may be stored safely at moisture levels below 7.5%. However, 8.7% of the bales were above the recommended storage moisture of 7.5%. Twelve of the 20 surveyed gins produced bales that exceeded the 7.5% recommended moisture level, mostly those using the direct spray method (26.3%) of moisture restoration. These bales may experience quality degradation during extended storage. |
